Paul Aurelian

Paul Aurelian
The stole of Paul Aurelian
Born	Glamorgan, Wales
Died	6th century Island Batz
Venerated in	Anglican Communion Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church
Major shrine	Fleury
Feast	March 12

Paul Aurelian (known in Breton as Paol Aorelian or Saint Pol de Léon and in Latin as Paulinus Aurelianus) was a 6th-century Welshman who became first bishop of the See of Léon and one of the seven founder saints of Brittany. He allegedly died in 575 at the age of 140 after having been assisted in his labors by three successive coadjutors. This suggests that several Paul's have been mixed up. Gilbert Hunter Doble thought that he might have been Saint Paulinus of Wales.

According to his hagiographic Life, completed in 884 by a Breton monk named Wrmonoc of Landévennec Abbey, Paul was the son of a Welsh chieftain named Perphirius/Porphyrius ("clad in purple"), from Penychen in Glamorgan. He was later given three saintly sister-martyrs; Juthwara, Sidwell and Wulvela.

In the Life of Cadoc the princely founder of Llancarfan is reckoned the son of Gwynllyw, eponymous founder of the cantref of Gwynllwg and the son of Glywys. Medieval sources give Gwynllyw a brother, called "Pawl", who is chief of neighbouring Penychen.

Paul first was a pupil of Saint Illtud at Llantwit Major. Later, he studied on Caldey Island with Samson of Dol and Gildas.

He went to Brittany, establishing monasteries in Finistère at Ouessant on the northwest coast of Brittany, at Lampaul on the island of Ushant, on the island of Batz and at Ocsimor, now the city of Saint-Pol-de-Léon, where he is said to have founded a monastery in an abandoned fort. He was consecrated bishop there under the authority of Childebert, King of the Franks.